


page by page

by zannen



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other: See Story Notes, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 07:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12076881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zannen/pseuds/zannen
Summary: One-shots from the "things you said" prompt meme on Twitter.





	1. under the stars & in the grass [Baekchen]

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't really follow prompts, I just take them as inspiration.

“So, um.”

The sentence dies in his throat almost before it can start. He licks his lips, opens his mouth, tries again. Nothing. The words just don’t want to come out, apparently. Maybe that’s for the best. He just keeps staring up at the sky in silence, the dry summer grass tickling his bare arms, itching. There isn’t even that much to look at, really, with the clouds starting to move in overhead, but it’s something to do. Something to look at that isn’t Jongdae.

“If it rains, I’m so done,” says Jongdae. “Who the fuck goes stargazing when it’s—”

“It’s not gonna rain, shut up.” Baekhyun grabs a fistful of grass, pulls it out, opens his hand to let it drop again. Some of the blades stick, and he wipes them off on his too-dirty, too-worn jeans that people are always telling him to get rid of because of the tear on the upper thigh, dangerously close to his groin. “Look, I just. I dunno, I thought it might be nice to… get out of the city. Just for a little bit. Breathe in some fresh air or whatever.”

“Wow. Didn’t know you were so big on nature.” Jongdae sniffs loudly. “It smells like a farm.”

“Yeah, pretty sure there are cows and shit across the highway.”

“Super romantic. Nice job.”

Baekhyun turns to look at Jongdae, who has his hands folded under his head and legs crossed at the ankles. He isn’t even watching the stars; his eyes are closed, expression relaxed and tranquil, almost like he could be asleep.

“Romantic?” says Baekhyun, voice taking on a slightly squeaky quality that would be mortifying if he weren’t so anxious about what Jongdae just said. “What—what do you mean?”

It takes a nerve-wracking moment for Jongdae to reply, but during the short silence Baekhyun sees a corner of his mouth curling up into a coy smirk. Fuck Jongdae and his entire stupid mouth, Baekhyun thinks, a little miserable and more than slightly hysterical.

“So you _didn’t_ drag me all the way out here so you could confess your feelings?” says Jongdae. “Huh.”

Unable to believe how entirely fucking transparent he is, Baekhyun quickly turns away to face the sky again. He can feel his face burning, his insides squirming unpleasantly. This was a stupid idea. He searches around for something to say to turn things around, but comes up empty.

Jongdae’s sigh breaks the tense silence. “Guess I’ll just have to do it myself.”

“Um,” says Baekhyun.

“I just think—” Jongdae pauses. His voice goes a little soft as he continues, “Everyone says the person you’re in a relationship with should become your best friend, yeah? And I’ve always thought… it’s really lucky that the person I want to be with is already that for me.” After a beat, he adds, “Okay, I’m talking about you, in case you didn’t figure it out.”

“That’s, I mean.” Baekhyun just blinks up at the stars.  “Yeah. Like. It would be awkward if you just. Confessed to me that you were in love with Chanyeol. I guess.”

“Or Kyungsoo,” says Jongdae.

“No, see, I’d maybe understand if it were Kyungsoo. _Maybe_.”

Jongdae laughs. Baekhyun finally musters up the courage to turn back to look at him again, and this time he’s met with a bright grin and flushed cheeks and smiling eyes. He offers his own smile in return, just a bit shy, still tinged with nerves because it’s Jongdae. At the same time, he feels oddly at ease because it’s—well, it’s Jongdae.

“So you know I like you, and I already knew you liked me,” says Jongdae. “What do you say? Boyfriends?”

“Yeah,” says Baekhyun. “Sure, that’s—yeah, cool, okay.”

Jongdae rolls onto his side and then reaches across to take hold of Baekhyun’s hand with his own rough and warm and calloused one. Baekhyun lets himself be dragged into a kiss, thinking that maybe he jumped to conclusions before about Jongdae’s mouth.


	2. too quietly [Baeksoo]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild and inexpertly-written angst

 “What was that?” asks Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun grimaces, shakes his head and goes back to gazing out the window and into the night. Kyungsoo can see him fidgeting, toying with the utensils in front of him, his fingers skating over the prongs of his fork. He’s been anxious ever since they ordered, saying little and hardly sparing Kyungsoo a glance. When he does speak, it’s in half-hearted mumbles, which would be frustrating if it weren’t so worrying. It’s Baekhyun, and Baekhyun doesn’t _do_ quiet.

Kyungsoo frowns. “Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” Baekhyun seems to hesitate. “Actually. Kind of?”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo feels his heart sink, even though this was bound to happen eventually, given how different of people they are. He knew it was a matter of time until one of them fucked up and did something to upset the other. “Sorry. What was—”

He’s interrupted by the waitress coming over with their drinks. He smiles and thanks her, and Baekhyun does the same, plastering on a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. Once she leaves again, Kyungsoo sips at his beer and waits for Baekhyun to fill in the silence, except nothing comes. All Baekhyun does is stare somberly at his glass, looking like someone kicked his puppy.

“Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo starts to reach across the table, but Baekhyun withdraws his hands immediately. It takes all of Kyungsoo’s willpower not to let out a sigh. “I’m sorry about whatever I did,” he says, “but I need to know what it was so I—”

“Friends,” Baekhyun cuts in abruptly. “She was flirting with you, and she called me your friend, and you didn’t say anything.”

Kyungsoo’s immediate instinct is to say _She wasn’t flirting with me,_ because he’s pretty sure that was just the waitress being nice so she could get a better tip, but that strikes him as possibly an inappropriate response. What he says instead is, “I didn’t realize that mattered to you.” Then, when Baekhyun doesn’t say anything: “I’m used to people assuming. Usually I just let them do it. It’s easier than correcting them.”

“And it doesn’t bug you?” says Baekhyun, finally looking up at him. His brow is furrowed, his eyes sharp. “It doesn’t piss you off at all?”

Shrugging uneasily, Kyungsoo says, “They’re just strangers. Why should I care what they think?”

“If you don’t care, then why can’t you—” Baekhyun stops, snaps his mouth shut, looks away again. His body language is all rigid and unwelcoming lines as he mutters, “Whatever. You’re right, it doesn’t matter.”

Kyungsoo’s heart, already somewhere in his abdomen before, falls all the way to the floorboards. He wants so badly to say something to fix this, something that will bring a smile back to Baekhyun’s face and return him to his usual bright, affectionate self, but he doesn’t know what that is. At this point, he’s afraid anything he says will just make things even worse.

Three months isn’t long, as far as relationships go. It’s hardly any time at all, in fact, and definitely too little to have spent with Baekhyun. He doesn’t want to fuck things up this soon, not when they’ve barely even had a chance to make it work.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he says. “If it bothers you, Baekhyun, I’ll—”

“Alright,” the waitress says cheerily as she appears again. “Here’s your—”

“I’m sorry, but could you give us a minute?” Kyungsoo interrupts. “I’m trying not to ruin my entire relationship with the man who might be the love of my life.”

The waitress—Wendy, her nametag says—gives him a sort of confused look, like no one’s ever told her _not_ to bring them their food, before defaulting back to her friendly smile. “Alright, I’ll get out of your hair.”

She disappears, and Baekhyun just sighs. “You don’t need to be so dramatic about it, idiot,” he says.

“I meant it,” says Kyungsoo. “I really do feel that way about you, Baekhyun.”

The tired frown falls from Baekhyun’s face, giving way to a suspicious look. “You do?”

“Of course. I don’t lie about things that are important.” Kyungsoo reaches across the table again, and this time Baekhyun meets him halfway, extending a hand for Kyungsoo to grab hold of. “And from now on, I’m not keeping quiet about them, either. Okay?”

Baekhyun nods, then looks at their hands, bites down on his lip. “Kyungsoo,” he says quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Can we bring her back now, ‘cause I was really looking forward to those Buffalo wings.”

They sit through dinner, tip Wendy maybe a little too generously, and head back to Kyungsoo’s apartment, where he spends the rest of the night making it up to Baekhyun, even though he suspects he’s already been forgiven. Not that that especially matters.


End file.
